Made in Virginia 2012: Gearharts Chocolate, Charlottesville

Gearharts

Gearharts Chocolate

Gearhart's artisanal chocolates are handcrafted to be as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate. Chocolates paired with a dusting of ancho chile powder, the essence of Earl Grey tea or a scant dash of ginger or cardamom are delicious and beautiful; each one a work of art, some hand-swirled, some colorfully imprinted, as designed by owner Tim Gearhart, a Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park)-trained pastry chef.

Gearhart says he is partial to his malted milk hazelnut (whipped Gianduja malted milk and a toasted hazelnut, dipped in milk chocolate). We also love the Kauai (toasted coconut, dark rum and white chocolate ganache with a roasted macadamia nut, wrapped in milk chocolate). With shops in Charlottesville and Richmond, Gearharts sells approximately 1,000 pieces of chocolate a day, except at Christmas and Valentine’s Day, when sales soar to as many as 8,000 pieces a day. $25 for the 16-piece sampler, which contains one of each of the chocolatier’s creations. GearhartsChocolates.com